Living on 23 squaremeter

You might not know this about me, but having lived under the influence of an architect (my mum) for most of my life, I have a fondness for playing with interior decoration. My very selective OCD of needing to have everything aligned perfectly according to a strange inner logic, and choosing color schemes for even the most minuscule part of my apartment is a symptom of this. Moving to Korea meant a new apartment to decorate, and this one did me the (dis)service of being incredible small and outfitted with an orange kitchen. Challenge accepted.

Living in an apartment the size of a hotelroom forces you to consider a few sides to how you live and organize your life. There is only a limited amount of space, and that space is usually filled surprisingly quickly. In other words, you learn to only focus on the bare essentials (almost), while also valuing the existence of hidden storage space, and things that are functional items while still looking good enough to be on display.

Color me beautiful

Choose a color scheme and stick to it. For my apartment I had to choose things that would work with the orange kitchen, in other words I had to pick colors that work well with orange. I decided on grey, turquoise, white and cold beige, in addition to black/white. All of my furniture is white to make them blend with the walls in order for the space to look bigger, while just about everything else is following the color-scheme. This includes the turquoise map on the wall, the orange kitchen brush, the beige bed cover, and the grey pillow cases and sheets. Call me insane, but it makes me happier in my apartment.

Work hard, play hard

It took me 6 long and frustrating months to find a desk that would work in my tiny space, but I finally did (at IKEA of course). Making room for a small workspace is important if you have any ambitions of doing any homework or work at home. Lounging on your bed with your laptop in your lap might work for a while – hell, that’s what I’m doing right now – but actually sitting at a desk is good for both you (mentally) and your computer. Just remember to move once in a while to shake those limbs and get your blood pumping. Because that’s also very good for your body.

As for study tips, I recently bought a small easel to use as an iPad-stand, for when I’m doing homework and have the articles on my iPad (or when I’m watching videos on it), and it’s brilliant!

What pillow can one have like a good conscience?

Buy loads of large pillows and make your sleeping pad a day bed. And always keep it tidy and nice, nothing makes your mind (or at least my mind) more relaxed than a clean and tidy apartment, and your bed will be a big part of that when you live in a small space. Colors and patterns are important here too, a Batman cover is superawesome (superawesome!) but it will make your bed look both messy and like a … bed when what you’re aiming for is a crossover between a couch and a bed.

Two is company, three’s a crowd

If you’re living alone you’ll do yourself a big favor if you keep to two of everything in your kitchen: two plates, two bowls, to wine glasses, two milk glasses, two forks, two knives, and so on. You don’t need more, and if you have more it will just give you more stuff to hand wash (if you don’t have dishwasher, if you do: lucky you!). I break my own rule when it comes to coffee mugs, but hey, never a rule without an exception.

Keep your mess out of sight, out of mind

Boxes and baskets are great for stashing cords, magazines and whatnot. I keep my computer cords, chargers and router in a weaved basket under the desk (properly spaced out to avoid any fire hazards), so that they’re easily available without lying all over the place. I keep my storage space tidy by having a box, basket or binder for everything, thus keeping everything tidy without too much hassle. Easy does it.

Additional tips: Create a pinterest board and collect ideas and solutions that could work for your space (see mine here). Throw stuff away sooner rather than later. Use your vertical space by expanding your shelves upwards and setting up hooks to hang stuff on. Mirrors make everything look bigger, even if they can be kind of scary when you’ve watched a horror movie and the clock strike twelve. Love the stuff you buy, you’re going to be looking at it all the time so it shouldn’t be a half-way solution. Move stuff around and explore new solutions when you need a change!

I’m fairly happy with my place now, the only two things I’m missing is a nice blue/grey rug (and a microwave). It’s nice to have something to look for, even if it might take me ages to find the perfect one.

Do you live in a small space, or are you blessed with a large apartment or house? Got any tips to share of your own?